Samuel Dash Conference on Human Rights

The Samuel Dash Conference on Human Rights is named for former Law Center professor Sam Dash. Our largest annual event, the conference brings together leading figures in the human rights field to discuss and debate a current human rights issue.

Held each spring, the Dash Conference was established by Samuel Dash’s family and friends, Georgetown Law alumni and the law firm of Cozen O’Connor to honor Dash’s contributions to international human rights and domestic civil rights. Dash, who joined the Georgetown Law faculty in 1965, and was on the board of the International League of Human Rights, traversed the globe in pursuit of justice. He led a human rights mission to Northern Ireland to investigate the 1972 “Bloody Sunday” incident, and traveled to the Soviet Union and Chile. In 1985, he was the first American to visit Nelson Mandela in prison and became involved in mediation efforts that eventually led to Mandela’s release. Dash also served as Chief Counsel of the Senate Watergate Committee’s investigation into the Nixon administration’s involvement in the Democratic National Committee break-in, which ultimately led to President Nixon’s resignation. Professor Dash passed away in 2004.